Born to be Deadly
by bloomsburry
Summary: Haruno Sakura's Creation Rebirth Technique goes awry, and the next thing she knows, she wakes up in a different world than her own, and in the body of an infant whose name is Arya Stark.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It was a jutsu she thought Tsunade-sama had perfected, but it seemed, even such a technique could go wrong.

Haruno Sakura was on an A-rank mission in Otogakure when it happened. She had been using the Creation Rebirth to heal some of her fallen comrades and herself when an unknown jutsu from a S-Class missing nin had blasted through her.

"Black Vortex Technique!" the missing-nin had yelled and with Sakura's back turned towards the enemy, she had only the time to use her body to protect her squad and amplify her Creation Rebirth Technique.

Sakura thought she would survive the blast, but it turned out, she wouldn't.

Instead something else had happened.

Sakura had died.

Thereafter, she remembered passing through a dark tunnel, and then there was a bright light and the sound of crying.

 _Her_ crying.

That was when Haruno Sakura realized that she was baby again…a baby whose name was Arya Stark.

...

..

.

 **Author's Note:** I wouldn't bore you with Sakura's childhood. So I will go straight to the part where King Robert visits Winterfell in the next chapter. Though I will add glimpses of Sakura's childhood here and there.


	2. The Beginning

"Arya, what in heavens are you doing?!"

 _Jon._ Sakura thought, sighing.

"Get down from there!" Her brother commanded while Sakura watched him strode near the tree where she was hanging upside-down with only the back of her knees for support.

"You are no fun, Jon." She called, scowling while she extended her hands towards the bough and pulled herself up until she was sitting in the high branch. "I am simply practicing."

"Practicing?" Jon said, sounding both worried and exasperated. "You could have fallen off from the branch, Arya!"

"No, I won't!" Sakura disagreed. "Because I've been doing this since the day I learn to walk brother! Just as Bran learn how to climb trees and towers of Winterfell." which was partly true because as soon as Sakura was able to control her body at an early age, she had begun relearning the things she learned in the Ninja Academy.

Learning the language of this world had been easy, but forcing her underdeveloped body to do the things that it hadn't done before had been completely difficult for Sakura. Yet she had still done it until her body was forced to develop faster than any other child. And how her mother and father – Catelyn and Eddard Stark – had been proud of her when Sakura had learned to walk and talk earlier than her peers.

Gratefully, her infant and toddler years were over, and now Sakura was already eight years of age and was in the process of increasing the amount of chakra in her body, which she knew would take years to do. However, Sakura couldn't wait that long. She needed to learn how to use her Creation Rebirth Technique in this world, which would possibly give her the chance to go back to her own world if she managed to recreate the scene of her being taken to this one.

"Arya!" Jon was calling her now and Sakura turned to see her brother peering up at her. "Come down from there before Lady Catelyn sees you!"

Sakura sighed again and did as she was bidden and jumped from the tree. She had been sitting in the highest branch of the ironwood tree in the Godswood, which gave Sakura time to do something dangerous – in Jon's opinion - before making her landing on the ground.

She heard Jon let out a curse as she flipped mid-air and Sakura grinned at that.

"Arya!" Jon yelled in concern. However, her brother had no reason to worry as Sakura landed on the ground in a half-crouched. She could feel the earth shake momentarily beneath her feet, and as she looked down, she saw a spider-webbed crack had appeared where she landed.

 _At least, I still got it_. She thought in satisfaction as she slowly stood up, dusting some imaginary specks from her breeches while she could hear Jon berating her.

"Gods, Arya! You scared me half to death there!" Jon was saying as he hurried towards her. Placing his hand on her shoulders, he turned her this way and that to see if she was hurt. "Don't do that again! Or your Lady mother will have my head if you hurt yourself while under my watch."

"You needn't worry about that, Jon." Sakura said, shrugging his hands off her shoulder. "You know I've been able to treat my injuries on my own, which prevent father and mother from ever knowing about it. So you need not concern yourself with me if I get injured. I've learn from the best."

What she said was true since Sakura had learned all the things she needed to learn about the healing arts of this world from Maester Lewlyn. She had studied under him since the day Sakura had learned to read and write her letters. Although Sakura had started learning on her own by sneaking books from the library before Maester Lewlyn had begun teaching her.

Certainly, other than the healing arts, Sakura was also able to learn the different kinds of poisons of this world as well, which she understood was another vital knowledge she needed to know.

"I know that, Arya." Jon said, looking at her with his jaw clenched. "But still, I want you to practice caution when you are out here, or in the Wolfswood, training on your own. I don't want you hurting yourself when no one is around."

"Alright, Jon." Sakura said contritely. "I will be extra cautious the next time I train," which had become often after Sakura had received the castle-forged shuriken, senbon and kunai Jon had asked the smith to make for her.

Sakura remembered the day when she had given the sketch of the weapons to Jon, and how she had convinced her brother to commissioned the smith for it.

" _What you are asking me to do is something our Lord father and Lady Catelyn will not approve of, Arya."_ Jon had said after he had scrutinized the drawing of the shuriken, senbon and the kunai Sakura had sketched. _"These are not playthings to be taken lightly, sister. The smith will see these as weapons…and as odd as it may be to hold and look at, this is still not something to be given to a child."_

" _Then, lie to the smith that the weapons are for you, and not for me, Jon."_ Sakura had said to him then. _"But I want you to understand that I want these weapons made for me, brother, it is for my protection…"_

It had taken a while for Sakura to convince Jon about taking the sketch to the smith, but she was glad that her brother had a soft spot for her, and had easily given in to her request.

 _"As you wish, dear sister."_ that had been Jon's words when he had inevitably agreed.

Jon Snow may be her half-brother, but he was Sakura's favorite brother out of the four. Jon understood her better than anyone else, and he loved her despite her many flaws.

But more than that, Sakura would defend Jon to the death if someone dared hurt him, like she had done to Theon Greyjoy who had often mocked Jon and called him 'Bastard.' And in response to that, Theon had received a good beating from Sakura, where she had broken his arm and leg and fractured parts of his face. Her Lord father and Lady mother hadn't been happy about it at all. Even now, the Greyjoy ward was still afraid of Sakura and had stopped bullying Jon since that day. Though Sakura knew that Theon Greyjoy called her names behind her back. He called her a 'Monster' and 'Abnormal' after Sakura had used bits of her strength when she had given the stinking squid a good wallop.

' _A lowly squid does not deserve the attention of a wolf.'_ Sakura often told herself when she heard the awful things Theon Greyjoy talked about her. Yet Sakura ignored the Greyjoy when she was in his presence, and Jon did the same as well, not wanting to cause more trouble for the two of them.

"What are you doing here, Jon?" Sakura finally asked the question as she came back to the present.

"I'm here because our Lord father was looking for you. Arya." Jon responded. "He wanted you to dress before the King arrives in Winterfell, which will be any moment now."

Sakura finally noticed how her older brother was dressed. Jon looked handsome in his dark sable cloak and his black boots, which she could see peeking through his winter cloak. Her brother had even done something to tame his wild curls and shaved his jaw. She had to admit that her brother looked like a Prince, but of course, Sakura wouldn't admit it out loud.

"You look like a proper lordling, Jon." Sakura teased instead and got a satisfaction of seeing her brother flushed scarlet.

"And you look like you need a bath, Arya." Jon retorted, wrinkling his nose as he surveyed her. "Come and let us go back to the castle before your Lady mother comes looking for you."

"If you say so, brother." Sakura said and began walking beside Jon and out of the Godswood.

She silently wondered the reason why the King had come to visit Winterfell in this time of year. Sakura hoped that this would be a good thing for her family.

Then, she remembered the rumors she heard around the castle. About a dead direwolf with an antler stuck up its throat, plus the six direwolf pups found in the snow. The people in the castle had said that it was a bad omen; an omen sent from the Old Gods.

Sakura wished that it wasn't the case. She wished everything would turn out well for her family when the King arrived.


	3. The Fall

"I wish our Lord father won't accept the King's request in becoming his Hand." Sakura told Jon after dinner that night as they went to the Godswood to talk.

Earlier in the day, Arya and the rest of the Stark children were introduced to the King and afterward Sakura had snuck into the crypts just in time to overhear the conversation between her Lord father and King Robert Baratheon.

"I've got a bad feeling about all of this, Jon." She told her brother as much while they sat beside each other against the weirdwood tree. "I know something bad is about to happen if we go to King's Landing. I just know it."

Sakura heard her brother sigh after hearing her words.

"Arya, everything is going to be alright." Jon assured her, nudging Sakura's side as he said this. "And how many times do I have to tell you not to eavesdrop on other people's conversation?"

"I hope so, Jon…I hope that everything is going to be fine as you say." She said softly. "And I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist following after father and the King. I just wanted to hear what the King had to say to our Lord father. So I went to the crypts."

Jon simply shook his head.

"I wish that you would stop doing that, Arya. Spying on people is not good. It could land you into trouble, especially in King's Landing." Jon warned and Sakura knew he was right, but she simply could not follow what her brother said.

Haruno Sakura was still a ninja in this life. It's been ingrained into her to be stealthy, pragmatic, and resourceful when doing something such as a reconnaissance mission, especially to acquire information about a potential threat or a possible enemy. And that's what she considered these people who just arrive from King's Landing. Sakura thought of them as intruders in Winterfell, although she might treat them as a guest, but still it didn't erase the fact that they were all strangers in her home.

Sakura didn't know them, and considering her family's political standing in this world, there's a chance that there were enemy spies who could have snuck into the King's entourage and into Winterfell. And Sakura couldn't let something like an assassination attempt happen to her family if she allowed herself to go lax on her duty as a ninja and as a Stark.

She must always be extra vigilant no matter what, or where she was, even in a peaceful world such as Westeros.

After all, it's only for the sake of Sakura's new family.

Sakura didn't reply to Jon's warning, but she decided to change the subject instead.

"Jon," Sakura began, looking up at the red leaves of the weirdwood tree above them while savoring the tranquil silence of the Godswood. "Do you ever wonder if there's another world out there? Like a world where people who can do special and incredible things with their hands and through words, to use techniques that can topple mountains or bring people back from the dead or walk through walls. Do think there's such a world like that, Jon?"

"If only it were real, Arya." Her replied softly, sounding amused. "If such a world exists, I would like to live there and become one of these special people you mention."

Sakura laughed at Jon's words. "If you were there Jon, I'm sure you will fit well with the Uchiha Clan, because you like to brood a lot and like to be left alone. You will be a perfect Uchiha, I'm certain of it."

"Uchiha Clan? What's an Uchiha Clan?" Jon asked, looking her in the eye.

"Oh, nothing. I just made that up." Sakura said hastily, not wanting to reveal too much about her past life. "It's just a made-up name I use when I play with Bran. He likes to pretend that he's a spy like a Bloodraven."

"I gather as much." Jon said, smiling at her. "So what do you plan on doing this week since I will be leaving with father to go out hunting with the King along with the others."

"Oh, Bran and I are going to build a secret base in the Broken Tower." Sakura told him, and knew instantly what Jon was about to say next.

"Arya, your Lady mother will be angry if she sees you and Bran climbing up the Broken Tower again. One of you can very well fall if you are not careful."

"But I always am careful, Jon. Bran and I have been climbing trees and the Winterfell towers since we were six. You need not worry about us falling down."

"But I do worry, Arya. _Every time_. Perhaps I should not go with the Hunting party this week so that I can watch over you and Bran."

"No, you don't!" Sakura said, "What will our Lord father say if he knows that you are not coming to the Hunting Party? Our father especially requested you and Robb to come with him, do you recall?"

"Yes, I do Arya, but I don't really want to go to the Hunting Party." Her brother admitted. "I rather I stay here with you and Bran than watched some noble men hunt and listen to their idle gossip."

This time, Sakura sighed. "Jon, does it still bother you what the other people think about you? I told you not to listen to them. Just ignore what other people say about you because they don't know you like the way our family do, or like _I_ do."

"I know, Arya. I know." Jon said solemnly, glancing at her. "You know Arya your wiser than any girl your age. I always wonder why that is."

"It's probably because I'm observant, Jon. You need not think more on that."

"Too observant for your own good." Her brother said before he reached out to ruffle her hair affectionately.

"Stop that!" Sakura said, batting his hand away. "It's really annoying when you mess up my hair!"

In response, her older just laughed.

A moment later, she asked him: "So will you be going to the Hunting Party together with Robb?"

"I don't know…" came Jon's uncertain response.

"You don't have a choice, Jon. Our Lord father especially requested for you to go."

Jon was silent for a while before responding to her.

"Oh, alright. I will go with to the Hunting Part." he said. "But promise me one thing before I go."

"What is it?"

"You need to be careful and no more spying on other people."

"I can promise you that I will be careful, but I can't promise you about the latter."

Sakura saw Jon's scowl and she chuckled.

"You know me, Jon." She said, "I'm born to be a spy."

.

.

.

"First one to the Broken Tower gets to eat Old Nan's freshly baked lemon cakes while the last one gets the crumbs!" Bran challenge her as he ran through the Old Keep and straight for the Broken Tower.

In response, Sakura simply followed after him. She wasn't really in the mood for climbing the Broken Tower, so Sakura watched her brother began climbing the tower by himself.

She slowly walked towards the foot of the tower and watched her brother climb with interest. Bran was so preoccupied with climbing the tower that he hasn't even notice her not climbing alongside him.

The other boy was nearly to the top, and Sakura watched silently when Bran finally reached the window of the Broken Tower.

This should have been the moment where Bran would be shouting his triumph at the top of his lungs, but Sakura saw something else instead.

A hand suddenly seized Bran by his collar and Sakura became alarmed at the sight of it. At once, Sakura ran forward, her heart thumping wildly against her chest.

She was about to climb the tower, when to Sakura's horror, she saw someone pushed her brother from his perch on the windowsill.

"BRAN!" She screamed when her brother began to fall down fast.

Without thinking about the consequence, Sakura jumped into the wall of the tower and use her chakra to stick herself there. Then, with a burst of incredible speed, began to run parallel to the top of tower to catch her falling brother.

It didn't take long for her to catch him, and when she did, Bran appeared to be still in shock from the fall.

"Arya?" He asked her, but Sakura didn't answer him, instead she was glaring furiously at the face of Jaime Lannister who looked like he was seeing a ghost for the first time in his life as he stood next to the windowsill with an incredulous look on his face.

"Bran, don't worry. You're safe now." Sakura told her brother while she continued to give the Lannister knight a deadly stare. "I'm going to put you on the ground now, Bran, ok?"

And without a moment to waste, or without waiting for her brother to reply, Sakura jumped from the wall and back towards the bottom of the tower where she lay her astonished brother down on the ground.

"Bran, I want you to call the guards and bring them here, do you understand?" She ordered him in a voice like that of a seasoned warrior. "Bring them here at once and report to them what you saw and what happened. I will handle Jaime Lannister."

Then, once more, without waiting for her brother's reply, Sakura leaped on the tower and began to run to the top of it, her hand a blur as she took out the hidden dagger that she had stashed in her clothing.

She needed it for questioning.

Haruno Sakura wanted some answers and Jaime Lannister was going to answer them whether he liked it or not.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thank you for reading! Your reviews fuels my passion for writing so please don't hesitate to tell me what you think! If you want to see the aesthetics, story trailer and photoshopped edits that I made for the story please check out my twitter, pinterest, youtube or tumblr account. But you can always contact me on twitter, facebook or tumblr so please don't be a stranger and let us be friends!


	4. The Act

Sakura finally reached the window where Jaime Lannister had disappeared into. She was about to enter through the tower window when she saw a glint of steel swinging towards her. Instinctively, Sakura raised her dagger up to protect herself from getting skewered by Jaime Lannister's sword, and using more of her strength to counter the man's powerful strike. Her eyes meet that of Jaime Lannister's fearful gaze as she crouched low on the windowsill of the tower.

Sakura saw a movement from the corner of her eyes and saw a familiar woman standing just behind Jaime Lannister. And as Sakura scrutinized the woman closely she noticed that the woman's clothes were all eschewed and her hair was in complete disarray. Sakura sniff the air shortly afterward to investigate further, and made a sound of disgust when she could still smell the scent of sex and sweat permeating in the air.

It didn't take for a genius to guess what her brother Bran saw when he reached the tower window.

The Queen was obviously fucking her own brother, Jaime Lannister.

"You!" Sakura all but growled in anger as she slowly moved her dagger to redirect her opponent's sword to the side while she slowly stepped inside the tower, with Jaime Lannister nearly stumbling in his own two feet as he tried to get away from Sakura's fighting range.

"You tried to kill my brother, Bran!" She snarled, her grey eyes flashing dangerously. "And I know why that is. It's because you've been fucking your own sister, the Queen!"

"Kill her, Jaime!" screamed Cersei Lannister as she pressed herself against the wall, just near the door to the tower, her eyes wild with fear.

In response to Sakura's accusation, Jaime Lannister tried to attack her once more by aiming for her head.

 _I must bid my time for the Winterfell guards to arrive._ Sakura thought as she defended herself against Jaime's outward slash. _I need more eye witnesses here to prove to others that what Bran and I discovered will not be deem as a made-up lie._

Sakura avoided another slash from Jaime's sword by pivoting around and ducking low while she used her dagger to meet Jaime's sword. She had to admit that the knight was quick on his feet, but he was nothing compared to Sakura who had years of experience and training as a ninja, stealth and graceful fluidity was ingrain in all of her limbs that Sakura flowed through the fight like she was dancing on air or water.

A deadly dance where she became unstoppable as she flipped upside-down and mid-air to avoid her opponents downward stroke, and sharp twisting of his sword, with Jaime Lannister's eyes growing wide with each passing second as Sakura continued to avoid each of his attacks.

 _Jaime Lannister may have tried to kill Bran, but_ _I am certain the King and the others will not believe a word Bran and I say because we are still children in their eyes, and Bran wasn't hurt during the attempt._ Sakura concluded as the clang of steel against steel rang through the air as she finally met her opponent's sword with her dagger once more. She levelled a deadly gaze at her enemy who looked more terrified of her than ever.

 _The King and the others will assume that we are lying. I must do something to prove that Jaime Lannister is a murderer and is sleeping with the Queen._ She decided while she suddenly heard the sounds of people running up the stairs towards the tower. With her fine hearing, she was the only one who could hear them approaching even from the distance, both Jaime Lannister and the Queen appeared to have not heard them approaching yet.

 _Now, time to act._ She thinks as she began to enact her plans.

"I WILL TELL THE KING OF WHAT I SAW HERE!" Sakura shouts at the top of her lungs, hoping that the approaching people can hear her shouts and also to keep the Lannisters distracted from the hearing the approaching guards, who are nearly at the tower door. "I WILL TELL KING ROBERT THAT YOU, QUEEN CERSEI LANNISTER, IS FUCKING HER OWN KING'S GUARD AND HER OWN BROTHER, JAIME LANNISTER!"

And like what Sakura expected, the Queen began to screech as well, screaming for her brother to kill her out of fear.

"KILL HER, JAIME! KILL THE CHILD! I DON'T WANT ROBERT TO HEAR ABOUT THIS!"

At her words, Jaime Lannister began attacking her with renewed vigor while Sakura continued to dance away from his deadly swings.

Inwardly, Sakura smiled to herself as she finally heard the guards nearing the door.

 _This is going to hurt like a bitch._ Sakura thought before running straight for Jaime's swinging sword, and purposely skewering herself in the stomach, like she did with her fight against Sasori.

The sword went from her stomach and straight through her back.

At her action, Jaime Lannister's eyes widened in shock.

Instantly, excruciating pain blossomed through her and Sakura let out an agonized scream, "AAARRRGGGHHH!" And just in time for the door to the tower to suddenly burst open and in comes pouring the Winterfell Guard's and other eye-witnesses.

"MY LADY!" yelled Master Cassell as he saw her current state. The other people present let out loud gasps and shouts at the sight of Jaime Lannister stabbing her in the stomach.

Meanwhile, Sakura silently began to heal some parts of her wound to slow down the bleeding while she pretended to be badly wounded.

"Help me..." Sakura says softly to the people at large, looking towards them and pretending to be sliding to the ground and ready to collapse. "Help me…."

"YOU CHILD MURDERER!" Sakura heard someone shout as she closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground. She allowed some blood to pour out from her wound while she lay there silently on the cold floor.

"We heard what Lady Arya said!" a man said while another person yelled, "We heard the Queen ordering Ser Jaime that you kill the child because she witnessed something that she should not!"

"CHILD MURDERERS!" someone shouted again.

As Sakura listened to them, she bit her lower lip to stop herself from grinning.

For certain, both Cersei and Jaime Lannister will be sent to a trial for adultery and attempted murder of a child.

Now, Sakura considered this as mission accomplished.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thank you for reading! Your reviews fuels my passion for writing so please don't hesitate to tell me what you think! If you want to see the aesthetics, story trailer and photoshopped edits that I made for the story please check out my twitter, pinterest, youtube or tumblr account. But you can always contact me on twitter, facebook or tumblr so please don't be a stranger and let us be friends!


	5. The Lie

"Arya!" came Jon's worried voice as he burst into her rooms, followed soon by her other older brother Robb Stark.

Jon strode hurriedly towards her bed and immediately gave Sakura a tight hug.

"I heard what happened when father receive the missive from Winterfell. Are you alright? Did Ser Jaime really tried to kill you and Bran?" was Jon's questions as he continued to hug her tightly.

"I'm fine, Jon. And yes, Ser Jaime Lannister tried to kill Bran and I when we discovered the Lannister knight together with the Queen in the Broken Tower." Sakura said as she released Jon and gazed into her brother's dark grey eyes.

"I heard that the trial will be tomorrow. Are you sure you are prepared for it Arya?" She heard Robb asked and she turned to her other brother, who bent low to hug her as well. Sakura returned the hug, feeling slightly overwhelmed to be seeing her brothers again.

"I am." Sakura replied, smiling assuredly at both her brothers.

"I don't think it's such a good idea for you to be moving tomorrow Arya, much less participate in a trial." Jon said worriedly.

"I must be there, Jon." Sakura said, frowning at her brother. "I must be there to testify against Jaime Lannister and the Queen."

"I know, but I hear there were a lot of eyewitnesses who have seen Jaime Lannister stabbing you in the stomach, and have heard the Queen ordering him to do so."

"True, but the witnesses weren't there when I saw Ser Jaime Lannister fucking the Queen."

"ARYA!" Both her brothers said at the same time.

"What?" Sakura asked, almost innocently. However, inwardly she was amused by her brothers' reaction.

"You should not use such words in front of gentle folks, especially during the Trial, Arya. It might offend most of the court's sensibilities if you do so." Robb reprimanded her.

"Alright, Robb." Sakura said to her brother, rolling her eyes at him.

"I'm serious, Arya. This might land you in trouble with our Lady Mother and our Lord Father if they hear you uttering such word in front of the public."

"I understand, Robb. I have more sense than to use such words in front of all those people during the trial." Sakura replied. "I'll be sensible, I promise."

"Good," Robb said, patting Sakura's head.

"Do you know where Bran is?" Sakura asked, "He hasn't visited me yet since the incident."

She saw both Robb and Jon exchanged a look.

"Bran is fine Arya. He's only quite disturbed about what happened, that's all," assured Jon to Sakura.

"What has he been saying to you?"

Once more, her brothers exchange a glance and Sakura watched carefully when Jon began to speak.

"I believe our little brother must have hit his head during his fall." Jon said slowly, looking at Sakura. "He has been saying such odd things to your Lady mother and our Lord father about what truly happened."

A shaft of fear crept up Sakura's spine after listening to Jon's words.

"What did Bran say that seemed so odd?" She asked warily.

"That you save him by walking up the tower." Robb replied, watching Sakura closely, far too closely.

"I caught him when he fell, that's true, but I didn't exactly walk up the Tower to do that." Sakura lied, meeting both her brothers' eyes.

"We know that Arya," was Jon's response. "We are also concern about Bran's current state of mind. He seems to be quite confused about what exactly occurred."

"Where is he now?" Sakura asked in concern.

"He's talking to our Lord father in the Godswoods." Robb said as he sat down next to Sakura in the bed, with Jon sitting on her other side.

"I want to talk to Bran." Sakura told her brothers. "I want to clarify some things with him before both of us appears in the court trial."

"That's a better idea than have Bran say things that might embarrass our family." Robb said while he leaned back against the headboard.

Thereafter, the three fell into a comfortable silence as they watch the fire crackling in the fireplace.

"So how was your hunt?" Sakura asked after a moment of silence.

"Uneventful," came Robb's dry answer at the same time Jon responded by saying, "There's nothing to talk about other than it was boring."

"Oh come now," Sakura said glancing back and forth between her brothers. "There must be something interesting that happened at the Hunting Party."

"None at all." Robb said while Jon replied, "Like I said, there's nothing to talk about."

"Alright, if you both say so." Sakura said, frowning at her brothers' lackluster response.

"So how about you Arya? Can you tell us more about what really happened at the Broken Tower?" Jon inquired, looking at Sakura with his piercing grey eyes.

"Well, you probably know some parts of what happen from my Lady mother's missive." Sakura began, "Bran and I were playing in the First Keep, when Bran challenge me to climb the Broken Tower. At that time, I didn't have the energy to climb the Tower so early in the morning so I allowed Bran to climb first. Bran, of course, thought that I was following closely behind him so he didn't care to look for my whereabouts. For I was simply watching Bran climb up the Tower until he reached the window."

"Then, what happened next?" Jon asked when Sakura paused for a long while remembering everything that had happened that day.

"That's when I saw Ser Jaime Lannister pushed Bran off the Tower." Sakura replied, "I remember feeling the panic that seized my entire body when I saw Bran began to fall…You can only guess what happened next after that."

"How were you able to catch Bran without breaking your limbs from the force of his fall, Arya?" Robb inquired, looking at Sakura once more with his Tully blue eyes.

"I told you, I didn't know how it happened. My body just moved on its own." Sakura said, "One second I was standing there, and the next thing I know, I was holding poor Bran's shaken body. I caught him before he completely fell straight into the ground."

"That's amazing, Arya, what you did." Jon said, ruffling Sakura's hair as he did so.

"I told you not to do that anymore, Jon," Sakura said in annoyance, batting Jon's hand away.

Like always, Jon simply laughed at Sakura's reaction.

"But how were you able to climb up the Tower so fast, Arya, after you save Bran?" Robb asked, as observant as ever.

Sakura sat up straighter from her pillows and answered Robb's inquiry without preamble.

"Why I use the steps to go up the Broken Tower, Robb." She said to her brother. "I was thinking of surprising Ser Jaime with my presence while Bran ran to call for the Castle guards. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the Queen there in the Tower as well, looking quite disheveled and with a scent of sex still lingering in the –"

"ARYA!" Her brothers rebuked her once more.

Sakura sighed loudly and continued on. "When I discovered the Queen there looking thoroughly debauched by her very own brother, Ser Jaime Lannister."

Robb made a sound of disgust while Jon looked like he was about to become sick at the mention of the incestuous relationship between Ser Jaime Lannister and the Queen.

"I think I am done listening to this, Arya," Jon said, "Not that I'm not interested in your story or anything. It's just that the thought of the Lannister twins doing _that_ disgust me."

"Jon is right. I rather we listen to you tell the Tale of the Gutsy Ninja Naruto than hear you talk about Ser Jaime Lannister doing _it_ with the Queen." Robb said wryly.

"Well, since you both insist that I rather not talk about what happened at the Broken Tower any further, then I will just tell you both the Tale of the Gutsy Ninja Naruto. At what part did I stop in the Tale again?"

"Oh, you were in that part when Sasu-gay was about to leave the Village." Robb said.

"Oh, _that_ part." Sakura said, inwardly grimacing as painful memories suddenly besieged her of the night when Sasuke defected.

"Let's skip that part, shall we?" Sakura said instead, rubbing her forehead.

"Or perhaps it's time we let you rest, Arya." Jon said, noticing her grimace.

"Aye, perhaps a good rest will do you good too, Arya." Robb told her, patting Sakura in the shoulder before he stood up.

"We apologize if we disturb your rest, Arya," came Jon's apologetic words. "We will return again later tonight to check on you."

"But –" Sakura began to protest but was interrupted by Robb who said, "Just rest, Arya. You will need it for tomorrow's trial."

.

.

.

"I tell you Tyrion, the child is _not Normal_." Jaime Lannister said to his brother in the dead of the night when Tyrion visited his elder brother in the Winterfell cells.

"What do you mean by not normal, Jaime?" Tyrion asked as he lifted the torch light higher to see his brother's ragged face better.

"That child, Arya Stark, she did it on purpose." Jaime said, looking into Tyrion's mismatched eyes. "The girl stabbed herself into my sword to accuse me of sleeping with the Queen. She is lying through her teeth, Tyrion..."

"But why would the girl do that?" Tyrion asked, "Why would she stabbed herself just to accuse you with sleeping with the Queen?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, brother." Jaime said, "We don't know what runs through those Starks heads. They probably did it for spite."

"I don't think so brother of mine." Tyrion said, shaking his head. "For I believe what the girl is accusing you of, Jaime."

"You believe the Stark girl more than you believe your own brother?!" Jaime hissed angrily.

"Yes," was Tyrion's calm reply. "I believe the Stark girl more than I believe you and Cersei both."


	6. The Dagger in the Night

Sakura didn't know what woke her up at first. However, after a moment, she instantly knew that the killing intent she felt wasn't from her direwolf Nymeria but it was from someone else who had snuck in her room.

At once, Sakura was alert and took hold of the dagger beneath her pillow. She pretended to sleep as she felt the assassin moved towards her.

Then, without hesitation, her hand flew out from beneath the pillow and threw the dagger straight at the figure looming over her bed. There was the sound of the blade hitting flesh followed by a gurgling noise right before Sakura felt the drizzle of warm blood raining over her. It drenched her night clothes and her bed covers.

A moment later, the unknown man slumped to the floor choking in his own blood. The dagger he was clutching fell to the floor with a thud. Sakura had made sure to aim for the throat but she hadn't really anticipated about the amount of blood that would spurt out from the man's fatal wound. Now, she felt icky due to the feel and scent of blood on her.

 _Gross._ She thought, using her bed covers to wipe off the blood from her face and neck.

Somewhere outside her door, she heard a wolf whine softly and knew at once that it was Nymeria.

Sakura sighed and stood up from her bed. She slowly moved towards the dead man on the floor and pulled out her dagger from the man's neck, where it made a wet squelching sound. Afterward, she moved towards the door. The moment she opened it, the direwolf instantly bounded towards the dead man near the bed, where the direwolf then proceeded to growl at the corpse.

"Where were you Nymeria?" Sakura asked her, peering outside the door with her dagger still in hand and anticipating for more assassins.

Unfortunately, she found none in the darkness.

Adrenaline was still pumping in Sakura's veins that she almost felt disappointed to see that there were no longer assassins lurking in the corner for her to kill.

She wanted some action so badly that she was afraid that her skills might get rusty without some attempt in her life.

"Nymeria," Sakura called her direwolf to her side. The direwolf ran towards her and looked up at Sakura with her golden eyes.

"I think it's important that I report this to my parents." She told the direwolf as she stepped out of her room and began moving towards her parents' quarters. "I better tell them that there is a dead man in my room."

In the shadowed hallway, she moved silently with her direwolf by her side. Soon enough, she arrived at her parents' quarters.

"Father, Mother," Sakura called out while she banged loudly at the door. "I need to speak to you right this moment."

"Arya? Is that you?" she heard her mother's muffled reply through the door. "What is it my dear?"

"There's a dead man in my room, mother." Sakura responded and listened carefully when she heard silence upon her declaration.

Then, she heard noises from behind the door where her father then opened it.

"What do you mean there's a dead man in your room, Arya?" her Lord father asked, opening the door wide for Sakura and Nymeria to enter.

"He tried to kill me in my sleep, father…but I was able to kill him first." She explained to him. "So he's lying dead on my floor right now."

"It's too early for this jest, Arya." Her lady mother said reproachfully. "You have a trial tomorrow. We can't afford to lose sleep with this – this…"

Catelyn Stark's voice stuttered off when she finally saw the dark splatter of blood in Arya's nightclothes.

"Oh dear Gods!" Sakura's mother exclaimed as she swiftly moved towards her. "Are you alright Arya? Did the man hurt you?"

"No, he didn't mother." Sakura replied, shaking her head. "I killed him first before he could lay his hands on me."

"Arya,"

Sakura then turned towards her father, who looked worriedly at her. "How were you able to kill the man?"

"With a dagger, father." She stated matter-of-factly.

Eddard Stark raised a brow at her statement.

"I always keep a dagger with me at night." Sakura explained sheepishly.

Her lord father could only shake his head at her words.

"If what you say is true Arya, I would have the guards alerted immediately." Her father said, looking at both Sakura and her mother. "You both stay here while I handle this. We can't be certain that the danger has passed. Perhaps there are more assassins out there than we know of."

"But –" her mother began to protest.

"Don't worry dear wife, I will soon have one of the House guards station at your door for protection. And I will make certain that the other children are all alright." Eddard Stark said, gazing into his wife's eyes.

"Be careful," Catelyn Stark murmured in concern.

"I will, Cat." Sakura's father said before turning to her again, "You were very brave, Arya, for what you did tonight..."

"Thank you, father." Sakura said solemnly. "It wasn't easy killing the man."

 _Lies._ She thought. _Killing the man was easier than cutting butter._

Her father looked sad to hear that.

"It always is," her father said, gazing down at her. "I'm glad you had a dagger next to you tonight, dear child. I can't bear to think what could have happened if you didn't have something to defend yourself."

"You need not worry about me, father. I am safe now, but I believe my dear brothers and sister are still at peril if you linger long." Sakura said to him pointedly. "You must get the guards and do what you must. In the meantime, I will stay here with mother."

"Alright, Arya." Her father replied, sounding both amused and mournful. "I will make certain that your brothers and sister are safe."

"Be careful," She told him after her Lord father had dressed himself swiftly. Thereafter, he strode out the door with a brief nod at them.

.

.

It was a few moments later when there was a loud knock at the door and the sound of voices.

"Who is it?" Sakura asked as she neared the door, her figure adapting into a fighting stance as she held the dagger she brought in front of her.

Behind her, she could sense her lady mother watching in tensed silence while Nymeria was simply watching attentively.

"Arya! It's us! Bran, Robb, Jon and Sansa! Theon is here too! Father sent us here." Bran's familiar voice called out and Sakura immediately opened the door for her siblings.

"Arya! Thank the Old Gods!" It was Jon who hugged her first, right before Sakura found herself being enveloped by her other siblings' arms.

"We heard about what happened." Sansa said, gazing at her worriedly. "Did you really kill an assassin?"

Her sister asked in disbelief while she heard Theon Greyjoy snorted from somewhere behind her.

"Yes, I did, indeed." Sakura replied, glaring at Theon before shifting her attention back towards her older sister. "You can ask father about it later."

"Were you hurt?" Robb inquired looking her over. "Is that blood on your night clothes?"

"It's not mine." She said at once, trying to assure her alarmed siblings. "It's the blood of the man who tried to kill me in my sleep."

"I know you can't be killed so easily, Arya!" Bran exclaimed all of a sudden, "I know that you are magical!"

 _Magical, huh?_ Sakura thought in amusement.

"Why am I magical, Bran?" She asked.

"Because I saw you walk up the Tower wall!" Bran replied, frowning at her. "And don't deny it! Father and the rest don't believe me!"

"Because it's not true Bran," She said to him softly, "You must have hit your head very badly."

"Stop lying, Arya! I know what I saw!" Bran burst out. He was almost in tears and Sakura could only feel pity for her older brother.

"I'm not lying Bran." She said to him imploringly. "I can't walk up the Tower Wall."

"Alright, enough both of you!" Catelyn Stark interrupted the broiling argument. "I don't want to hear anything about what happened this morning from either of you two. And Bran, I hope you will stop spouting this nonsense once and for all. For it won't serve our House if you continue this nonsense during the trial. As a witness, I hope you won't say anything about Arya saving you from falling down the Tower by running up its walls."

"But she did!" Bran cried out, tears now streaming down his eyes. "She run up the Tower Wall to save me!"

"Stop it Bran!" Robb suddenly snapped out, sounding exasperated. "It's impossible for Arya to do that! She is not some magical creature you always hear from Gran Gran. She's our sister! So stop embarrassing yourself!"

With a loud sniffle, Bran finally stopped talking, to Sakura's relief. She didn't know what she'll do if Bran continued the conversation. Sakura didn't want her powers to be discovered by anyone – not at this moment, at least – especially her family.

 _This is going to be a long night._ She thought as she looked at each of her siblings, who wore different expression on their faces. _Tomorrow is going to be a trial for all of us._


	7. The Trial

"May I call upon Brandon Stark to serve as a witness?"

Sakura instantly became nervous as her brother walked towards the lectern. The eyes of many were upon him and she hoped that Bran won't screw this up. The presiding judges were King Robert Baratheon, Lord Wyman Manderly and Lord Roose Bolton, who were seated in front of the lectern at the center of the room.

"Brandon Stark, by the grace of the Old Gods and the Seven, do you swear to tell the truth, and only the truth in this honorable court?" Lord Manderly asked from his chair.

"I swear," Bran replied raising his hand solemnly. "I swear that I will only tell the truth while I present myself in this court."

"Then, let us begin." Lord Roose Bolton spoke up. "Tell us what really happened in the Broken Tower, Brandon Stark."

"My sister and I were playing in the First Keep early that morning, Lord Bolton." Bran began.

 _Please, please, don't mentioned about me running up the wall, Bran_. Sakura thought desperately.

"I was climbing up the wall while my sister remained on the ground." Her brother stated. "And as soon as I reached the window of the Broken Tower, I saw something that I shouldn't see."

"What did you see, Brandon Stark?" The King asked, his face darkening in obvious rage.

"I saw Ser Jaime Lannister with the Queen, your grace." Brandon said, "They were doing something that only a husband and wife should do."

"You mean they were _fucking_ , boy?" The King asked in a thunderous voice. "They were fucking while the rest of the men were out Hunting?"

"Yes, your grace." Bran replied in soft voice, appearing thoroughly intimidated by the King.

"Then, that's my proof!" King Robert declared, standing up from his seat. "I have enough of this sham of a court show! I demand that Ser Jaime Lannister be beheaded and my wife and her children be banished from the Seven Kingdoms!"

"But your grace,"

Surprisingly, it was Sakura's Lord Father who began to protest against the King's sudden outburst.

"There must be a court trial, your grace." Her father said, trying to calm down the furious King. "Lest all the noble lords and ladies present here will see you as an unjust King for denying both the accused a just trial."

There was muttering of agreement amongst the assembled crowd.

King Robert turned pink in embarrassment for being put in his place by his friend. The King opened his mouth and was about to say something to Lord Eddard Stark – probably a reprimand – when Sakura suddenly stepped forward and said, "I will be your next witness, your grace. If you will allow me, I will give you more proof of your wife's infidelity and strengthen your case against her. Then, we can all call it a day and end this sham of a trial."

"Arya, sit down!" Her father ordered harshly. "You haven't even been called yet!"

There was a short pause while the King regarded Sakura with a curious expression.

"It's alright Ned," King Robert suddenly said, sounding calm again. His eyes fixed on Sakura while he sat back down on his chair. "I want to hear what she has to say…Please proceed Lord Manderly, Lord Bolton."

Then, the trial commenced once more.

"We call upon Arya Stark to serve as a witness against the accused." Lord Manderly called out, continuing the trial like nothing happened.

"Come forward, Arya Stark." Lord Bolton said out loud.

Sakura walked towards the lectern where Bran stood.

"It's my turn, Bran." She told her brother, tapping his shoulder.

Bran just nodded his head without meeting her eyes and then he stepped down from the lectern.

Afterward, Sakura was asked to solemnly swear that she only tell the truth in front of the court, like Bran had done.

"Tell us what happened that day on the Broken Tower, child," came Lord Manderly's demand as soon as Sakura had sworn that she tells the truth.

"Like my brother said, we were playing on the First Keep." She told her audience, "Bran was climbing up the Broken Tower when he saw Ser Jaime Lannister and the Queen together through the window."

"Then, what happened afterward?" Lord Bolton inquired in his quiet voice.

"I saw Ser Jaime pushed my brother off the window." She stated and the crowd gasped at her words. "And it was only by sheer luck that I was able to catch my brother in time before he completely flattened himself on the ground."

"And what did you do thereafter?" came Lord Manderly's question.

Sakura had to sigh in relief when she realized that they didn't question her methods to save her brother.

"I ran up the stairs of the Broken Tower and confronted Ser Jaime Lannister about what he did to my brother," Sakura told them. "Once I arrive at the top of the Tower, I saw the Queen and Ser Jaime hurrying to put on their clothes and I knew instantly that they were doing something incestuous in there."

As expected, the crowd reacted in absolute disgust after hearing Sakura's story.

"LIES!" someone screeched and Sakura turned to see the Queen, who was in chains, glaring at her with venomous eyes. "You are a lying bitch! Don't believe what she is saying, Robert! That child is a lying monster!"

At once, both Robb and Bran spoke up to defend her.

"My sister is not lying!" Bran shouted while Robb said loudly, "Don't call her a lying bitch, you bitch!"

"YOUR SISTER IS A LIAR AND A MONSTER!" Cersei Lannister yelled, "AND I'M GOING TO ENJOY WATCHING HER –"

"SHUT UP CERSEI!" King Robert roared as he abruptly stood up, his chair crashing towards the ground. "I WILL HAVE YOU WHIPPED WOMAN IF YOU CONTINUE TO INTERVENE IN THE PROCEEDINGS!"

"But Robert –"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" The King thundered, his face dark as storm clouds. "Lord Manderly, you may proceed!"

"Robert, please listen to me!" Cersei Lannister cried out with tears glistening in her eyes. "Please don't believe those lying children!"

"I SAID SILENCE!" Robert bellowed and the room quietened down, "I TOLD YOU TO PROCEED LORD MANDERLY!"

"Alright, your grace," came Lord Maderly's cool response, still acting like nothing happened.

"The Maester told us that you acquired a wound to your stomach, when you confronted Ser Jaime. Can you tell us about that?" Lord Manderly inquired.

"Yes, as I was trying to ask Ser Jaime's reason for pushing my brother off the tower, he instantly attacked me by order of the Queen. He stabbed me in the stomach with his sword and was planning to leave me for dead," came Sakura's response. "I would have died if my brother Bran hadn't called the guards and led them to the Broken Tower."

"That's not true!" a voice yelled in outrage, and Sakura turned to see that it was Ser Jaime Lannister who had spoken out of turn this time. "I didn't stab the girl with my sword! She ran straight for it!"

"And why would she do that, Ser Jaime?" Lord Bolton asked, directing his cold blue eyes at the Kingsguard.

"I don't know! Ask her!" Ser Jaime replied, waving his hand in Sakura's direction.

"That's nonsense!" King Robert interjected before Sakura could say anything. "If I hear one more word from your lying mouth, you Lannister bastard! I'll have your tongue cut out!"

"I dare you to do it, you sorry excuse for a King!" Ser Jaime Lannister retorted right back, glaring at King Robert Baratheon.

The crowd gasped in shock at the knight's daring.

King Robert's face turned an angry puce. He stood up from his chair, his belly protruding while he glared at his former Kingsguard.

"I have enough of this sham of a trial!" Ser Jaime suddenly said, standing up as well. "I demand a trial by combat!"

"And who is going to be Ser Jaime's opponent?!" was Lord Bolton's question.

Ser Jaime Lannister's eyes landed on Sakura and she instantly knew what he wanted.

"Lord Eddard Stark!"

The moment King Robert Baratheon declared the name, Sakura paled.

Her Lord father might be good swordsman, but he was nothing compared to the Kingslayer.

She knew that Ser Jaime was going to win the trial by combat if she didn't do something about it.

So Sakura made a choice and that choice was to finally show her true strength.

She was going to fight and that meant stepping forward in place of her father.

"No!" She cried out before she could stop to think. "I volunteer!"


	8. The Pretense

"What's this?!" King Robert thundered as he gazed at Sakura in surprise. "A child volunteering in the Trial by Combat?!"

"No, absolutely not!" Her Lord Father said immediately. "I refuse!"

"As do I! I refuse for a child to volunteer in the Trial by Combat!" King Robert said, "Your daughter has gone mad for daring to volunteer, Ned!"

"I apologize on her behalf, your grace. I will talk to my daughter as soon as this farce is over." Eddard Stark replied.

As the people thought all the drama was over, they thought wrong.

For another voice spoke up.

"If my sister can't volunteer, then I will be volunteering for my father!" A familiar voice called out and Sakura whirled around to see her dearest brother, Jon Snow, stepping forward.

Sakura's heart dropped straight to her stomach at Jon's words.

"No!" came her father's protest.

"And who might you be?" The King inquired as he looked at Jon.

"He's my son!" Eddard Stark cried out.

"I remember you now. You're Ned's bastard son." King Robert remarked.

"My name is Jon Snow, your grace," was Jon's reply, bowing deeply. "If you will allow me, I would like to volunteer on my Lord Father's behalf."

"You want to fight in the Trial by Combat against Jaime Lannister?" The King inquired, scrutinizing Jon closely.

"Yes, your grace," came Jon's response.

"No! Your grace, don't let him volunteer." Her father said hastily. "I will fight against Jaime Lannister in -"

"Be silent, Ned!" King Robert snapped out.

At once, her father fell silent.

"If your bastard son want to fight for you Ned, then I will accept his offer to fight in the Trial by Combat." King Robert said with a note of finality.

"Your grace, please reconsider! My son is still young and -" Her father protested.

"Father, please let me do this," Jon interrupted in a pleading voice. "At least let me fight for you."

"Ned, your bastard is willing to fight for you. I say let him do it." the King said.

"But your grace, he's still inexperienced in ways of combat. He is no knight! Jaime Lannister will slaughter him in moments!"

"Are you doubting your bastard's fighting skills Ned?"

"No, your grace. I'm only telling you the truth. If you truly want Jaime Lannister defeated. I say you should pick someone who has fought in the war. You should choose me as Jaime Lannister's opponent."

There was a pause as King Robert regarded Eddard Stark in silent contemplation.

"You are quite right. I do want Jaime Lannister defeated, or killed. And since you are so eager to fight the Lannister bastard Ned, then you shall have my blessing in defeating him in the Trial by Combat."

"Father please," Jon said imploringly. "Allow me to fight him for you!"

"Enough, Jon! You had your chance earlier but the King's decision is final. You shall not fight Jaime Lannister. I will." Her father said.

Sakura watched everything unfold before her eyes. She silently wondered if she should have done something else to stop her father from fighting Jaime Lannister.

At the thought of the Kingslayer, her eyes landed on the man himself, who remained silent during the entire time her father argued with the King. As if sensing her stare, the Kingslayer looked in her direction and met her eyes.

A moment later, she saw the man smile sardonically.

In response, Sakura merely scowled at the bastard.

"To all the people who have gathered here today!" King Robert suddenly called out to the gathered crowd. "We shall commence and have the Trial by Combat outside in the courtyard. You have an hour to do as you please. Take a piss or shit. Do whatever you want. Just come back after an hour or before the Trial begin."

Sakura listened to the King's instruction with numb shock. Her father only have an hour to prepare himself before he would fight Jaime Lannister.

She needed to do something during that time before her father would face the Kingslayer.

Sakura would have to speak to her Lord Father.

.

.

.

Sakura slowly approached her father, who was currently talking to Jon at the moment.

"I understand that you wanted to fight for me, Jon. I do. However, you are still too inexperience in battle that you won't last long with the Kingslayer. You must understand that I only did what I did to stop you from dying in the fight." She heard her father said to Jon.

"Father can I talk to you in private?" Sakura interrupted before Jon could reply.

Her father and her brother turned to her then with similar frowns on their faces.

"Yes, I want to speak to you as well, young lady. Come, let us talk in my solar," came Eddard Stark's immediate reply. "Jon, I will speak to you later."

"Yes, father," was Jon's only response. "Gods be good and I will see you later, father."

Eddard Stark simply nodded his head in Jon's direction before ushering Sakura out of the Great Hall and towards his solar.

.

"What were you thinking Arya for volunteering like that?!" Her father demanded the moment they arrived at his solar.

"I'm sorry Father. I did it without a thought." She explained as she stood before him.

"I'm grateful the King is wise enough not to take your offer in fighting Jaime Lannister. I'm also relieved to know that the King sees my reason when your brother tried to volunteer as well." Her father said.

"Jon could never win against the Kingslayer as he is now," came Sakura's comment.

"I know that, Arya. It's the reason I refuse to let Jon fight for me." Eddard Stark said to her.

"While Jon can't outfight the Kingslayer. You, on the other hand, are no match for Jaime Lannister as well. You will die in your attempt to fight him," Sakura told him bluntly.

"How can you be sure of that, Arya? You haven't even seen me fight yet." Her father asked with a look of surprise.

"I have seen Jaime Lannister fight and I know enough to understand that he's far more swift and agile than you are father. He will tire you out and kill you the moment you lower your guard."

"I may look like an old man to you, dear daughter. But this old bones still have fight in them. I won't be easily defeated."

"Father, trust me. You won't survive the Trial by Combat unscathed. You will either die or lose a limb in the process. Jaime Lannister is a formidable opponent and I am certain that he will win the Trial through sheer skill alone."

"Why do you doubt me so, Arya?" Her father said as he looked at her with perplexed, grey eyes. "As my daughter, you should at least give me words of encouragement instead of telling me your doubts."

"I apologize father if I appear to be like that," Sakura said as she walked forward to give him a comforting hug. Her father hugged her back.

"I am sorry." She repeated. "I really don't want you to fight Jaime Lannister, father. If I can, I will take your place and fight him myself."

"Dear child, you can't stop me from fighting the man, and you most certainly can't fight him." Her father said as he gazed down at her. "Even if you are allowed to fight him, you will only die in the attempt."

"No, I won't." Sakura replied confidently. Her hand already surging with chakra as she placed it at the side of her father's neck. "I won't die father, I promise you that."

"What are you talking about, Arya?" Her father asked, frowning down at her in puzzlement.

"I'm sorry father, but I have to do this," was all she said before Sakura disrupted her father's blood flow to the brain and forced Eddard Stark into unconsciousness.

At once, her father collapsed before he could say anything and Sakura had to catch him before he fell on the floor.

"I'm sorry father." She murmured as she settled Eddard Stark upon his chair behind his desk. "But I just can't let you fight the Kingslayer."

Afterward, Sakura did what she does best.

She hastily cast a genjutsu around the room to make it appear like no one was there. Then, she used the Henge no Jutsu to transform herself into her father's likeness.

Once that's done, she took her father's valyrian steel sword Ice from its mantle and walked out of the solar.

Now, all she needed to do was kill the Kingslayer before her father woke up.


	9. The Trial by Combat

Still in her father's henge form, she eyed her opponent who was standing opposite her. Jaime Lannister had gotten his Kingsguard armor back and was now holding a sword in front of him.

The same sword he probably used to kill the Mad King.

Sakura felt the weight of more than a hundred eyes on her and Ser Jaime Lannister as they prepared themselves for the Trial to start.

"Begin!" Sakura heard the King announced a moment later.

Sakura didn't launch herself at the Kingslayer as some would expect, instead she decided to wait and gauge her opponent's move. She observed as Jaime Lannister was the first to attack. He lunged forward with an outward slash which she parried swiftly. Then, the Kingslayer followed it through with a twisting swipe and a downward cut. Both of which she deflected easily. Too easily that it looked like Sakura was toying with the man, which was not farther from the truth.

Sakura hadn't moved from her spot while Jaime Lannister moved around her and tried to break down her guard. In fact, the Kingslayer's attacks didn't deter or frighten her while she continued to analyze his next move.

A moment later, she was not surprised when her opponent feinted to the left before he slashed outwards and tried to cut her head off. Sakura saw right through it and she brought her sword up to stop Ser Jaime's attack.

There was a collective gasp from the assembled crowd as steel clashed against steel. A sharp grating sound could be heard from their blades as the two opponents tried to overpower each other. Sakura didn't even made an effort. She allowed Jaime Lannister and the rest of the people to believe that the Kingslayer had a fighting chance. However, in truth, Jaime Lannister was already dead the moment he stepped in the field with Sakura.

Their swords separate as they leap back from each other, but it was only for a second. The Kingslayer did not stop his attack while Sakura simply deflected and analyzed his next action. She closely watched the shift of his eyes and the movement of his feet where she finally noticed the pattern of his fighting.

This lasted for nearly a minute where Sakura began to predict Jaime Lannister's next attack and started countering with her own sword.

Deciding that she was done gauging her opponent, Sakura poured chakra all throughout her body, which would soon make her fast and strong. Then, she began to take the fight seriously and started attacking in earnest.

Swiftly, she brought her sword into an outward slash, which Jaime Lannister barely deflected in time. However, Sakura did not stop there. With a sharp pivot of her feet, she slashed forward with half her strength and watched as Ser Jaime used both his hands to stop her attack with his sword. She noted how Jaime Lannister's hands shook at the force of her attack. Afterward, her attacks became relentless, and without breaking momentum, until the Kingslayer was forced to back away from her and become defensive. The crowd cheered her on with the King roaring his advise to wound and kill the Kingslayer in different ways.

Their swords clashed three times, which Sakura had allowed on purpose to make a show of it. She had done so to give Jaime Lannister a false hope, when she knew that she could end this fight for less than a minute.

Sakura met Jaime Lannister's eyes above their clashing swords. Her opponent might be fast but Sakura was faster. Thus, as their blades continued to clash, she used her superior strength to twist and slide her sword out of the clashing blades, where she instantly drove Ice straight through the Kingslayer's right shoulder in a blink of an eye.

Jaime Lannister wasn't able to defend himself in time as her Valyrian steel sword cut deep into his armor. She saw as a flash of pain crossed her adversary's face as she pulled out her sword from his shoulder, where blood immediately poured out from the wound.

She listened to the crowd gasp once more after her swift attack while she heard the King bellow loudly. "Well done, Ned! Now, kill that bastard!"

Sakura ignored the King while she regarded her wounded enemy.

"I draw the first blood," Sakura said coldly in her father's voice. "But what shall you do now Kingslayer with only one good arm to fight?"

"Damn you, Eddard Stark!" Jaime Lannister cursed out loud. "Damn you!"

With a deadly glare directed at her, Jaime Lannister transferred his sword to his left hand and suddenly launched himself at her.

 _Too slow_. She thought as she saw him move.

In a flash, Sakura merely stepped to the side and watched as Jaime Lannister stumble clumsily forward. No longer wanting to prolong the fight, Sakura decided to attack without holding anything back. Now, with his back turned to her, she poured chakra into her blade and did an upwards slash. Her movements almost lazy but her Valyrian steel blade sliced smoothly right through her adversary's chest plate and straight into his back, where her blade bit into his flesh. At once, Jaime Lannister let out a yell of pain and surprise at her sudden attack.

It didn't end there, however, and so with a whirl of her blade and with her foot sliding on the ground, Sakura slashed outwards multiple times. Her attacks just a blur to the spectators while her blade cut with perfect precision.

First, she aimed for the Kingslayer's back legs where she intent to cripple him like he would have done to Bran if she hadn't save her brother. Then, with another whirl and twist of her blade, she brought down her sword with enough force to severe Jaime Lannister's arms from the shoulder. Her Valyrian sword, which was imbued with chakra, was so sharp that she easily sliced right through her opponent's armor and bone, like she was cutting butter.

Immediately, there was a howl of agony which came from the Kingslayer while a drizzle of warm blood rained over Sakura after she had cut off Jaime Lannister's arms in front of more than a hundred people.

There were a soft thumping sounds as Jaime Lannister's severed arms fell to the ground. Soon, the man himself fell down as well; armless, but most of all, with no functioning legs. She watched as blood instantly poured out of the Kingslayer's severed arms and wounded legs. At the same time, she listened to the screams and shouts from the shocked audience, but she ignored them all in favor of watching her enemy suffer.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Jaime Lannister was screaming such an excruciating scream, but Sakura had no intention in ending him soon.

She wanted Jaime Lannister to suffer after what he had almost done to her and her brother. Death for him was too final and swift. She preferred to see him suffer for a very long time.

"NOOO! JAIME!" Sakura heard someone scream from the crowd and she immediately caught sight of Cersei Lannister sobbing and screeching at the top of her lungs. "JAIME! NOOO! JAIME!"

"Kill him, Ned!" Sakura heard the King's loud order through the cacophony of voices. "Kill the bloody bastard!"

For a moment, she contemplated about protesting against the King's order, but then she decided to follow instead.

"As you wish, your grace," She said as she walked towards the pathetic and bleeding figure on the ground.

Jaime Lannister looked up towards her with such an agonized look on his face as he lay there in the pool of his own blood with his severed arms lay haphazardly beside him.

However, she didn't feel any sympathy for her enemy. The only emotion she felt was extreme satisfaction for making Jaime Lannister suffer.

For a moment, she gazed down at the Kingslayer with a cold expression on her face as she said, "Any last word Kingslayer?"

The wounded man regarded her for a brief second before he replied.

"Why? Why did you cut my arms off when you could have simply killed me while my back was turned?" Jaime Lannister managed to grit out through his obvious pain.

"Do you want to know why I cut your arms and cripple your legs?" Sakura asked darkly. "It's because I can, and because you deserve this suffering after you nearly killed both of my children. This is what you get for going against my family."

"My father won't be happy about what occurred here." The Kingslayer stated. "He will go to war for my sister and I, if we are both killed."

"It doesn't matter if Tywin Lannister will go to war for you and your sister. For the King and I will crush him the moment he makes a move against us. After all, King Robert and I have more allies than your father will ever have." She said to him.

The Kingslayer fell silent thereafter while he glared at her.

"Then, kill me." The former Kingsguard said after a moment. "Use your sword and be done with it."

"Gladly," She stated without hesitation right before she brought her sword up and drove it straight down unto Jaime Lannister's chest, where she pierced his heart with Ice.

She watched as the light dimmed from the Kingslayer's eyes as he died instantly. What followed afterwards were something of a blur. All Sakura recalled was the screaming voice of Cersei Lannister and Robert Baratheon's roar of triumph after she had killed the Kingslayer.

Then, before anyone could stop her, Sakura hurried away and sneaked back towards her father's solar. She did not want her father to awaken while she was still pretending to be him.

As she arrived in the solar, everything was the same as she had left it. Her father was still sitting unconscious on the chair after she had deactivated the genjutsu surrounding the room. Afterward, it was easy to cast the false memory on her father using genjutsu, which would make him believe that he fought the Kingslayer.

Once that was done, Sakura slowly rouse her father up, but she hastily left the solar before her father completely awakened. She could only hope that her father won't break the memory genjutsu, lest her involvement in the fight would be discovered.


	10. The Good News

Sakura watched her father closely the next day. She knew that the memory genjutsu that she planted in her father was working since Eddard Stark seemed to be acting like he did defeat the Kingslayer. However, perhaps Sakura should have not overdid her performance during the Trial by Combat. She shouldn't have showed her superior fighting skills while disguised as her father. That had been unwise move on her part. Sakura recalled how she wanted to knock Jaime Lannister's high opinion of himself down a peg that she hadn't hesitated in beating him so thoroughly that she literally had to cut his arms off just to prove a point. Now, people were already in awe and wondering how her father was able to become so skilled in a matter of hours before the Trial.

 _Stupid._ She thought while she walked towards the Great Hall, where the rest of her family would be eating their lunch. _I should have defeated the Kingslayer while fighting less skillfully in the Trial by Combat to prevent people from asking too many questions. Now, my father is under the scrutiny of most of the people who saw what happened. If I'm not careful, my father will start wondering how he was able to accomplish such a feat as well…._

Sakura had just walk inside the Great Hall when she instantly noticed the tense air in the room. Her eyes narrowed almost instantly at the sight of people whispering and gossiping among themselves on the tables.

She caught snippets of the conversation here and there as she strode towards her family's table.

"Did she really kill herself?" someone muttered as Sakura swept pass.

"Yes, it seemed that she had gotten a dagger somewhere and slit her wrists while in her cell." another person answered and Sakura was beyond curious who were they talking about.

"I can't believe that the Queen would kill herself like that...not when she still had her children to consider…"

 _The Queen?_ Sakura frowned in confusion as she hurriedly strode towards the Stark's table where she could see the rest of her family and the King were sitting.

"Well, the Queen must be too devastated by her twin brother's and lover's death that she could not bear to continue on living…"

 _The Queen is dead? And she died by slitting her wrists?_ was Sakura's doubtful thoughts while she finally sat down beside her sister Sansa, who looked grim and pale in that moment.

"What happened?" Sakura asked her older sister in a low voice while her eyes strayed towards her father, mother and the King, who were talking quietly among themselves. Using her eyes, she read the movements of their lips and understood most of the things they were saying.

"The Queen is dead," Sakura heard Sansa say beside her while Sakura continued to watch the adult's conversation.

"I only heard the news not a moment ago from one of the prison guards when Cat and I were on our way here to the Great Hall." Sakura read how her father was saying to the King. "It appeared that Cersei Lannister somehow had acquired a weapon and used it to fatally injure herself. It looked like she bled so fast that even the rotating guards failed to immediately notice something amiss. It was only when a guard entered her cell to give her sustenance that they finally found her corpse."

"Well, good riddance to that lying and cheating whore I say. That woman was better off dead than alive if I say so myself. I think I can rest easy now that I know that she's gone for good than allow her to live and breathe under the pretext of exile," was the King's callous answer.

There was a silence that followed while Sakura watched how her father looked troubled at the King's words. Sakura also had a sneaking suspicion that the Queen's death wasn't a suicide at all. Even though she didn't know Cersei Lannister very well, but Sakura understood the woman's character enough based on her interaction with the people around her and seeing the woman's reaction during the confrontation at the Broken Tower.

She knew that Cersei Lannister was a conniving and spiteful bitch, but most of all, Sakura knew that the woman loved her children very much after she had seen her interact with Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella on occasion. Hence, Sakura knew that Cersei Lannister would not simply kill herself just because her twin brother and lover died, which would ultimately leave her children at the mercy of the King. She knew that the woman would certainly fight back and take revenge for her brother if given the chance. So to have the people believe that the Queen killed herself was just too contrived and unbelievable that Sakura even suspected that the King probably ordered someone to kill Cersei Lannister just to see the woman dead.

 _The King must be so furious for being cuckold by his own kingsguard for years that he must have wanted his wife dead rather than see her in exile along with her children._ Sakura could only guess in silence.

"But what shall you do with her children?" Sakura saw her father asked the King.

"What of them?" was King Robert's almost dismissive response. "I could hardly call them my own now, not when they look like the Kingslayer's get. No wonder they are not dark haired like all my bastards I sired...And since they are not my own, I will make use of them as I see fit. If Tywin Lannister rouses himself from Casterly Rock and leads an army to King's Landing, I will use the whore's children and all the rest of the Lannisters who remain at court as hostages. Let's see how the Old Lion will react with his only dwarf of a son, his grandchildren and the other Lannister loyalists under my mercy."

"And if Tywin calls his banners and attacks King's Landing? What shall you do then? Will you have all of them executed as a retaliation against Tywin's action?" Her father asked the King in a whisper to prevent other people from overhearing. The Great Hall was not an ideal place to talk such vital matter but it seemed her father just wanted to know the King's plans regarding the Lannisters in that moment that he would dismiss this fact altogether.

"If it comes to war Ned, you already know what some of us must do to keep the peace, and in my position, keep my Throne. And might I remind you what Tywin had the Mountain do to Elia and her children? What I will do to Tywin's grandchildren will be no difference to how I let the Old Lion did to those Dragon spawns. There will always be those who will become casualties of war and I couldn't care less what happens to those children of incest at all. In fact, I say Tywin might see this one coming to him when he calls his banners. However, let us discuss more on this matter in private Ned, even though I had all the rest of the Lannisters men and women under watch in the other side of your keep, there might be spies lurking around here who will take this opportunity to listen in on our conversation and tell Tywin what I intend to do." The King said with finality.

Afterward, Sakura observed how her father, mother and the King lapsed into silence while they continue to eat grimly. She also kept an open ear around her while she ate her food. The rest of the courtiers from the King's party were still discussing about the Queen's untimely demise and something else regarding Joffrey, which she had a hard time following.

Sakura also observed her brothers Robb, Bran and Rickon chewing their food across from her. Robb and Bran clearly looked like they were too preoccupied with their own thoughts. Rickon, on the other hand, seemed to have noticed the tense air around him and had chosen to behave accordingly. Meanwhile, Sansa, who was still sitting beside Sakura, did not talk to her at all. In fact, the red-haired girl seemed to be paler than usual.

"Is there something wrong, Sansa?" Sakura finally asked her older sister a moment later. "You seemed subdued more than usual…"

It took awhile for the other girl to answer and Sakura was beginning to wonder as to the reason for Sansa's behavior.

"It's Prince Joffrey…" Sansa murmured.

At the mention of the cruel boy, Sakura immediately scowled and said, "He's not a Prince anymore Sansa. King Robert outright stated that Joffrey is not his son or heir because he is the child of incest between Cersei and Jaime Lannister. So you might as well stop referring to him as a Prince."

Once Sakura said that Sansa looked absolutely distraught. However, Sakura felt mildly annoyed at the other girl for reacting thus. She understood that her older sister had a huge crush on Joffrey to begin with because Sansa found the bastard boy handsome and Princely. Even after the boy's parents had tried to have Sakura and Bran killed and after discovering Joffrey's true lineage, Sansa obviously still held a candle to him, albeit much less than before.

"Sansa, why did you mentioned Joffrey? What exactly happened to him?" Sakura prodded the other girl.

However, Sansa looked like she no longer wanted to talk to her. Fortunately, Bran must have heard her inquiry and he was the one who answered Sakura's question when the older girl chose not to answer.

"Sansa mentioned him because I heard the King sent Joffrey to the cells not too long ago for questioning." Bran informed her.

"Questioning for what?" came Sakura's question. "What did he do?"

"Shouldn't you know this by now Arya? Since you have a habit of eavesdropping on everyone's conversation?" Sansa said waspishly.

Sakura decided not to be baited by her sister into an argument and simply ignored the other girl's statement. Although she allowed herself to glare at the older girl just to show she was displeased with her.

"Joffrey is in the interrogation cells since someone saw the Hound talking to the assassin who tried to kill you the other night Arya. The witness saw the Hound gave the assassin money, which was obviously from someone else who ordered Clegane. Since a lot of people already know that the Hound is Joffrey's rabid dog, it's been concluded that the one who paid and sent the assassin to you was Joffrey. Perhaps to either silence you before the Trial or it was done as an act of revenge for what you did to his mother and uncle. Either way, Joffrey would be interrogated until the King confirms the truth, and once he does, Joffrey would be beheaded without a fair trial or giving him the opportunity to take the black as the King stated. Apparently, the King desperately wanted him dead as well." Bran whispered to her.

For a normal person, they would have leaned forward to better hear what Bran say, but Sakura's hearing was above average and her lip reading was not abysmal at all, so she perfectly understood what Bran whispered to her.

Sakura fell silent after hearing the good news. The only reason she did not hear this beforehand was because she had been too busy worrying about her father's state of mind, and at the same time she had been meditating in the Godswood when the news of the Queen's death and Joffrey's imprisonment broke out. All of these occurred today and right before lunch it seemed.

 _It looks like today is a day for celebration indeed._ She thought wryly. _Lannisters paying their debts with their own blood is the day for a bloody celebration._

"And who is going to swing the sword once Joffrey is found guilty of the crime?" Sakura asked while she instantly noticed how Sansa appeared like she was going to be sick. Although the girl remained silent all throughout the conversation.

"Our Lord father of course," Bran said with a tone of satisfaction. "The King thinks that it's only right that our father delivers the killing blow after what Joffrey planned to do with you."

"That's good to hear," came Sakura's dark reply. "If I was given the chance to kill the little shit, I would have slit Joffrey's throat myself."

"Arya!" Sansa cried out all of a sudden. "Don't speak of such things! In fact, this entire conversation is not appropriate in a dinner table at all!"

"Oh hush, Sansa." Sakura said, rolling her eyes at the other girl. "If you can't stomach the fact that your Prince is about to lose his head come morning, then you are free to leave the table."

"You - you are so GAH!"

Sakura watched as Sansa stomped her foot in frustration. However, she was somewhat surprised when the other girl decided to stay in the table. Although she was not shocked to see Sansa turning to their Lady mother for help.

"Mother, Arya is saying unseemly things again!" Sansa said.

Inwardly, Sakura simply sighed and watched as her mother and even her father and the King turned their attention in her direction.

 _I sometimes dislike having an older sister,_ She thought as she listened to Sansa prattled to their mother what Sakura did wrong. _But what can I say…family is family._


End file.
